LeslieKnope

(S02E19) How do you guys feel about Jerry? As amusing as it is to see Leslie, the moral center of the show, make fun of someone, the whole "ridiculing Jerry 24-7" thing makes me kind of uncomfortable. He acknowledges that he gets made fun of, but unlike PIerce on 'Community,' he doesn't seem in on the joke at all.

Mark pops in toward the end of this episode to make a good point: Leslie's problem is that one of her employees would make up a story about a mugging because he's afraid of his co-workers' reactions. With that said, "What would you do for a Klondike bar? Kill your wife?" was pretty freakin' hilarious.

According to The Wrap, Amy's on screen character, Leslie Knope, will not be having a baby. That would be catastrophic for Leslie, since the career woman who dreams of climbing the political ladder from Pawnee, Indiana, to the state capitol and beyond, is a single lady. An out of wedlock baby might not be a catalyst to bigger and better things.

Is it me, or does it seem oddly fitting that Pawnee would name Ron Swanson Woman of the Year? Everybody was at their best in this week's episode: Leslie was rightly pissed that Ron was recognized for work she had done herself, Ron was rightly making fun of Leslie for caring too much about meaningless awards, and Tom was rightly trying to be Pawnee's version of P Diddy-- as he should be.

Speaking of Tom, I have to say I was really surprised by where that storyline went, and didn't go. I thought for sure we were going to get to see his hot (ex) wife again, as he was going to try to figure out a way to get alimony from her to invest in the club, since she's a rich doctor and totally used him for citizenship and broke his heart. I also figured that the whole thing was a scam, and it looks like I was wrong on both counts.

(S02E16) Ron Swanson nailed it tonight. I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with Justin (Justin Theroux), and Swanson summed it up perfectly: he's a tourist. Justin is really only interested in stories. It's been bugging me the entire time he's been on the show, because he seems like a perfectly nice guy in some scenes and a total jerk in others -- but now it all comes together.

Also nailing it? Andy's band. I not only loved his songs (I would totally make them my Valentine's soundtrack), but I enjoyed his befuddlement with the entire situation and his frustration with not being able to tell if the gig was a success or not, due to the lack of ladies flashing him.

(S02E15) I have no idea why, out of all the controversies in the world right now, that the folks at 'Parks and Recreation' decided to tackle corn syrup, but I loved it. This was actually a well-done episode about something that many people consider to be a problem: companies taking over vending machines in places like schools and other public places. Even though it actually had a bit of a message, it still managed to be hilarious.

Leslie is kind of everybody's mom: whether it's not letting Ron drink and drive (drinking and harp assembly is another matter entirely), or helping Anne educate Pawnee about the dangers of kids becoming fat, happy and docile by shoving high-fructose corn syrup bars into their gaping maws.She's just trying to make her little part of the world a better place, and it's endearing.

(S02E15) So, Leslie's still a little bit crazy, huh? Have we really never seen the inside of her house before? That seems kind of weird to me, but I don't think the writers would have randomly made her a hoarder if we had been in a previously clean place. Anyway, I love how they used her messy house to set up the procession of rec center teachers coming into her house to help with the dinner party. I love it when Leslie's personal life is at odds with her professional one. She wants to do the right thing all of the time, but she is only human after all, and Justin is really hot.

I guess Leslie decided not to have that long-distance relationship with Dave. As much as I liked him, he's not around, and I'm glad Leslie is moving on. It may not have gone very well for her, but I love how Leslie is confident enough to not disguise her disgust for Chris. Seeing the real-life husband and wife on a terrible blind date was fun, but I'd like to see Will Arnett on the show again, and the way things ended didn't leave a whole lot of room for that possibility.

Speaking of possibilities, Justin Theroux is going to be back next week as Justin, so we get to see how that first date went. By the way, great casting call on that one. I can totally understand why Leslie and Anne are into him; I got all swoony just sitting at home and watching him on screen.

(S02E12) This week's episode of Parks and Recreation was bittersweet-- but mostly sweet. After being MIA for several episodes, Louis C.K. returned, only to say goodbye. However, sweet scenes between April and Andy, Mark and Ann, and the entire office finally realizing how much they need Leslie, made up for the sadness.

It wasn't all sappy, though. When you have a councilman who gets a babysitter pregnant and then proceeds to have sex with four delivery-room nurses and a woman who's husband is getting a liver transplant, there is bound to be some funny-- and apparently an ass shot or two.

(S02E11) Since it's December and it's time for all of those end of the year lists, can I just say that Aziz Ansari is one of my favorite people on television right now? Everything that he does as Tom Haverford is completely amazing, and every time he speaks, I just want more of him on the screen.

Even though I was dismayed to find out that Tom and Wendy have a Green Card marriage (I kind of wanted the creepy little dude to win just once and get the hot wife), I like how they've stretched out the storyline and have really made it into something interesting. It's been slow, but each time we see something about it, it's a nice little payoff. First we had the Halloween episode in which we saw, once again how adorable Tom and Wendy actually are together, along with first being introduced to the horrifying potential of a Wendy/Ron Swanson relationship.

(S02E10) This episode is nice, because Leslie finally gets what she's wanted since the very beginning of the series: to be one of the guys. I know I talk about this a lot, but it's just because the writers have done such an exceptional job: I love how Leslie is actually competent in some areas, instead of being the bumbling fool they wrote her as at the beginning of the first season.

When she says she's an excellent hunter, it's not just self-delusion: she's actually an excellent hunter. Well, we really don't see enough to determine whether or not she's "excellent," but she totally bagged a quail on her first try and she didn't shoot Ron in the head, so she's at least pretty good compared to the rest of her hunting party.

(S02E07) Pikitis! I loved this episode. After hitting a real low for me two weeks ago, last week's episode was an improvement, but this week's really lived up to its potential. Even Andy, who I haven't been completely thrilled with as a character this season, was hilarious ("I'm not crying; I'm just allergic to jerks!"). It's also really nice to see people on Leslie's side. How awesome was Dave with her? I wasn't so sure about him when he first showed up, but he's becoming more and more fun every episode he's in.

So we find out that Leslie's mortal enemy is a high school kid who just happens to have a name that's a lot of fun to yell in anger. Which, of course Leslie's mortal enemy is some 16-year-old punk. I will say this though: he's good: Between hiring the fake mom off of Craigslist and his janitor disguise that he used to break into the Parks office, maybe Leslie wasn't being completely ridiculous when she classified him as a James Bond-type criminal mastermind.

(S02E06) No more pit! I figured that the giant hole would eventually be filled in, but I had a feeling that it would take much longer than this. But after only 12 episodes of the entire series, Ann now sees a dirt lot when she looks out of the window of her home. Oh, progress.

Speaking of progress, I haven't been the biggest fan of Andy, but I enjoyed him in this episode. Before, when he turned up, it was mostly just to show how pathetic he is, but this week, in addition to that, he actually helped move the plot along in a big way. He gave up $100,000 for Ann, which honestly, seems like a terrible idea to me. I understand that he's in love with her and all, but there's no guarantee that she's going to get back with him, and a hundred grand is a hundred grand, you know?

(S02E05) Wow. I cannot wait to see what you guys have to say about this episode. I've been of the opinion that Parks and Recreation started off shaky, but consistently got better until the season finale, which is when I truly became a fan. Then, the first four episodes of this season were not only hilarious, but allowed the characters to grow and develop.

And then this episode happened.

I really want to give the benefit of the doubt to shows I like, so I'm just going to say that, hey, maybe there's a really important, deep message about Venezuelan/US relations that I just did not get. That is why we had 30 minutes of Fred Armisen insulting both America and really, the people of Venezuela simultaneously. Yeah, that's the ticket.

(S02E04) Last week, I talked about how I was beginning to identify with Leslie Knope. This week, I have to say that I identify with her a lot less, but that's mainly because my dating life hasn't been anywhere near as awesome as hers. I have never downed Ambien instead of Tic-Tacs, I have never had a dude show up for a date with another woman, and sadly, my sleeve (or any other clothing item) has never caught on fire. All this says to me is that I haven't lived, man.

I also really like what they're doing with the Dave character. I was afraid that they were making him kind of stupid, but that wasn't evident in this episode. He was just kind of bumbling and charming again. Plus, it was super-sweet how he wasn't scared away when she showed up to his house drunk. Because really, if you can't show up at some dude's house and ask him if he's impressed that you remember it's a bathroom and not a whiz palace, then what's the point of life?

(S02E03) This is how I know Parks and Recreation is growing as a show: Leslie Knope has not only stopped being a one-dimensional season one Michael Scott impression, but she has grown into a character with whom I can identify. If I ever found myself judging a beauty contest with a chick in a hooker dress talking about how if it were up to her and her family, it would be called "Ourmerica," and not "Theirmerica," I would have a difficult time holding my brains inside of my head.

I don't think I would have an elaborate, laminated scorecard with a section for the "Naomi Wolf effect," but I could definitely see myself in a room arguing with my fellow judges about the brains of the other contestants. And Like Leslie Knope, I probably would have lost. Such is life.